TO THE COURT OF AVA. 
13 
manders, the captains of the flank companies of 
His Majesty’s 89th regiment, who were brave¬ 
ly attempting to lead the troops into the 
works. General Cotton, upon this repulse, re¬ 
tired to a large island in the Irawadi, a few 
miles below Donabew, and there continued 
until the retrograde movement of General 
Campbell brought him to Donabew in the end 
of March. The place was then regularly be¬ 
sieged, batteries having been erected on the 
island within a few hundred yards of the 
north-east angle of the fort. The fate of Do¬ 
nabew was truly characteristic of the rude war¬ 
fare of the Bur mans, and of the character of 
the government and people. An accidental 
shell, one of half a dozen discharged as an ex¬ 
periment to ascertain the range of our mortars, 
and before our fire had regularly opened, killed 
Bandula, as he lay reclining upon a couch. 
The Burman chiefs offered the command to his 
brother, who refused it; upon which the 
troops forthwith abandoned the place, and dis¬ 
persed. Bandula’s brother fled to Ava, where he 
found an order ready for his execution; and 
was, in fact, put to death for refusing the com¬ 
mand, as well as for his flight, within a short 
half hour of his arrival at his own house in Ava. 
Bandula, at the time of his death, was about 
